1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a stocker system and a method of managing a stocker, and more particularly, to a stocker system that easily manages a shelf of a stocker and a method of managing the stocker.
2. Description of the Related Art
Stockers are used to load products, and generally include a plurality of shelves that each load one product. The stocker may load various products, such as masks used in a photolithography or deposition process, cassettes containing wafers for manufacturing a semiconductor, and cassettes around which substrates for manufacturing a plasma display panel are wound.
A rack master to which an arm is attached is used to load products in the stocker and to carry out or transfer the loaded products. The rack master may automatically load or transfer the products while the rack master is moved using a member such as a rail.
However, when the stocker is used, the shelves on which products are loaded may be deformed or inclined to have shapes and/or positions different from their initial state. When the shelves are inclined, damaged, and/or lose their flatness, the products loaded on the shelves may be damaged. In addition, when the products are not loaded in a horizontal state but in an inclined state, the quality of the products may be affected. Thus, it is necessary to periodically examine the shelves of the stocker.
However, it is difficult to examine the shelves of the stocker by workers or using equipment because the inside of the stocker must be maintained in a clean state and not be contaminated by foreign substances. Also, the workers can not efficiently examine the shelves of the stocker because an inner space of the stocker is narrow.